(Minghui.org) A Chongqing man was sentenced to five years in prison for talking to people about Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime.

Mr. Zhang Jun was arrested on May 24, 2016, and charged with “using a cult to undermine law enforcement,” a standard pretext used by the regime in its attempt to frame and imprison Falun Gong practitioners.

Mr. Zhang first appeared in court on October 26. The prosecutor showed photos of alleged evidence upon which Mr. Zhang was charged. His lawyer argued that, by law, the physical evidence had to be presented. The presiding judge responded by bringing the hearing to a halt.

When the hearing resumed on December 23, the prosecutor admitted that the procuratorate didn’t have any evidence to show that Falun Gong is a cult, nor did they find any law that labels the practice a cult.

The prosecutor’s testimony was recorded in the court proceedings, which he signed at the end of the hearing.

The judge sentenced Mr. Zhang to five years on August 22, 2017. He is appealing the sentence from the Ba’nan District Detention Center.